History

HISTORY

Our skills in the traditional craft of hurley making were first shown as far back as the 1930’s by Patrick ‘Pop’ Torpey an avid hurler at the time in his locality and a member of the last O’Callaghan’s Mills team to lift the Clare Senior Club Championship trophy over 80 years ago. He supplied many of his teammates and other players from the locality with the first Torpey masterpieces. His original tools of manufacture are on show in the GAA Museum Croke Park along with a number of his favourite hurleys.

‘Pop’ Torpey always had one very interested spectator whenever he began the hard task of seeking out and making his hurley every year, that was none other than his nephew and today’s master craftsman John Torpey

Hurley Master Supreme

Having grown up with a passion for hurling, John made his Senior Championship debut at the tender age of 16. From here he had a playing career spanning nearly five decades, during which time he won an All-Ireland Junior medal and two Leinster medals with Wicklow, and a Clare Intermediate championship medal with his native O`Callaghans Mills GAA club.

After beginning to make hurleys for players of the locality in the early 70’s, John decided to start producing commercially in 1981. A perfectionist and entrepreneur, John began refining hurley patterns to create new products which could move with the demands of the increasing popularity of the game. This process reached its pinnacle in 1995 when Torpey Hurleys were used by half of the breakthrough All-Ireland winning Clare team, who themselves were changing the landscape of the sport. Renowned players such as David Fitzgerald, Brian Lohan, PJ O' Connell, Fergie Tuohy and Ger`Sparrow´ O Loughlin all took to the field every day with a Torpey.

This achievement lead to players from far and wide trying the Torpey experience, with players from traditional and non-traditional hurling areas drawn to the ease of use, strength and natural balance a Torpey provides.